Chapter 1194 - 1194: Simple and Bright

The Mute Girl, who had just started primary school, lay by the door, her ear pressed to the crack, secretly listening to the conversation between her sister and their parents.

The atmosphere in the room was as severe as the depths of winter, yet the Shield Woman's voice from beginning to end showed not the slightest sign of backing down.

That was somewhat unexpected—she was clearly a puppet who had run all the way to today along the route her parents had drawn out for her, yet it seemed she had never truly been suppressed or controlled by them.

Any task handed to her, any target set for her, she could accomplish as a matter of course, even overachieve to the point where the other side couldn't find a single flaw.

But precisely because of that, those parents naturally kept piling more expectations and pressure onto her.

Think about it and it makes sense: after crossing into the Otherworld, the Shield Woman not only broke through to Legendary in just a few years, she also used her skills to become the spokesperson of the Divine City Sect, turning what had originally just been a roadside Cult into a thriving one, and she even made it in the Plain Ancient City as one of the very few adventurer nobles…

Obviously, she herself possessed outstanding Talent, by no means a lamb to be slaughtered.

It was just that, on the rails her parents had laid from childhood, the Shield Woman seemed to move forward purely by inertia, never having had the chance to think about one thing—what she herself actually wanted.

Until her younger sister was born.

And when she finally found the first goal in her life that truly belonged to her, she immediately erupted with astonishing drive and willpower.

She decisively abandoned the predetermined track she had followed for more than ten obedient years, chose another road with an unknown future, and at the same time had to face head‑on the heavy pressure from her parents.

The result was precisely this confrontation before their eyes, happening after the college entrance exam was over.

Just as everyone had predicted, the Shield Woman handed in a flawless paper, achieved scores enough to make the news, and duly received an admission letter from her ideal university.

It was just that the school and major that accepted her were completely different from what her parents had once planned out for her.

What's done is done; from the result alone, for the Shield Woman who had never disobeyed her parents in the past eighteen years, this was a clean and decisive victory.

Yet the fruits of victory are not always sweet. One look at the oppressive atmosphere on the other side of the door crack, like dark clouds pressing down on a village, was enough to make that clear.

"You're already an Adult. From a legal standpoint, our obligation to raise you ends here." Her father's voice was steady and cool, as if reading out a document at a meeting. "In the past decade or so, we have never abused you, and we have raised you to adulthood without any deficiency; your college entrance exam score is the proof.

"In other words, if you insist on studying this major, we No More have any obligation to provide you with financial support. Naturally, you also don't need to come back to this home anymore."

Her mother picked up the thread, her tone equally unhurried, as if they weren't discussing their daughter's future at all, but an investment whose sunk cost they had already decided to cut: "Of course, we also won't ask you to support us in our old age.

"Our business has never really been a family enterprise, and we never had much expectation regarding our children's Talent. It's just that you did perform quite well when you were little, so we did consider for a time whether to adjust our business strategy…

"But since things have developed to this point, then forget it. What's happening now is merely a return to the proper track."

Looking at the couple who could utter those words without a change of expression, the Mute Girl, hiding outside and eavesdropping, couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement in her heart.

How did that line on the internet go again?

——It's all the original family's fault!

Of course, economic threats actually held no Intimidation for the Shield Woman. With her scores, getting a full scholarship was no problem, and with some part‑time tutoring on the side, it would be more than enough for her to live a rich college life.

And considering the way she and her parents interacted, appealing to Emotion clearly wouldn't work either. Even if those parents were to announce on the spot that they were severing their parent‑child relationship, she probably wouldn't shed a single tear.

The key lay in her little sister.

The initial catalyst for the Shield Woman wanting to become a teacher was precisely that she wanted to personally accompany her sister as she grew up, to personally guide her Growth.

But if she were kicked out of the house, that would be off the table, a classic case of pulling the rug out from under her.

Faced with her parents' pronouncement—less a threat than a businesslike verdict—the Shield Woman pressed her lips tightly together, her pupils drifting slightly, clearly spinning her brain at full throttle, trying to find some kind of breakthrough in a dead end.

Seeing their daughter rack her brains like that, the expressions on the couple's faces hardly changed, but the mother's tone did relax slightly as she went on: "However, we can give you a chance.

"As you know, our company's goal can hardly be called some grand vision; all we pursue is the appreciation of capital. After all, there's neither Magic nor Immortal Technique in this world, and what can serve as proof of Strength, when all is said and done, is simply how many resources you can call upon…"

The father calmly continued: "And money is the most straightforward and comprehensible yardstick.

"So, as long as in your four years at university you can earn an amount we recognize—capital sufficient to cover the future lives of you and your sister—then we can act as though we never had the two of you as daughters."

Those lines, which would overturn most people's worldview, fell into the Shield Woman's ears, and yet she instead showed an expression of relief.

She drew a deep breath, and after a moment of silence, stated a figure that to ordinary people would practically qualify as an Astronomy‑level sum.

"As long as I earn this much money before I graduate, will you acknowledge me?"

"Daughter, what you need is not our acknowledgment, but simply Strength that goes by the name of money." Her father's tone carried no sarcasm and no regret, merely a statement of fact. "If you truly can earn that figure within four years, then even if we refuse to acknowledge you, it can only serve to prove our own stupidity.

"But if you can't, then come back obediently and inherit the family business… If you've lost even that capability, then be ready to recruit a son‑in‑law; one way or another, a successor is still necessary."

"…I understand." The Shield Woman's voice was calm, her expression resolute. "Father, Mother, I will achieve my goal. Until then, I'll leave my sister in your care."

"We'll hire a few more nannies."

From the looks of it, before she earns enough to hit that target amount, the Shield Woman has no intention of coming back to this house.

And that whole conversation finally made the Mute Girl, who was lying outside the door eavesdropping, see the light.

These two sisters are clearly all each other has, their relationship should've been decent, so why is it that in the chat app, the younger sister always talks to the older one with that rude, cutting attitude, to the point that when she came to play the part, the Shield Woman felt zero sense of dissonance?

Thinking about it, in those childhood years that were supposed to have someone there with her, the Shield Woman was always burying herself in work outside, busy making money and studying, probably hardly ever appearing at her sister's side.

But what surprised the Mute Girl even more was that, judging from that conversation just now, all those properties the Shield Woman later lived in, and that luxury car she drove, probably weren't given by the family at all—they were all earned by her alone.

Looked at this way, even without help from the Divine City Sect, the Shield Woman becoming a Noble in the Otherworld probably wouldn't have been hard; you could even say that roadside Cult actually limited her development Space.

But it's obvious that, to the Shield Woman herself, this was absolutely not some glorious time worth cherishing. Abandoning the little sister she treated like her own child, burying herself in the pursuit of cold cash while juggling her studies… for her, that stretch of days must have been brutally dull and painful.

And in the end, even if she did, by sheer personal effort, earn that astronomical figure, become a teacher, and win custody of her sister, that rift between them had long since sunk too deep to mend.

The tiny thing who used to cling to her, calling her "sis" in a milky little voice, had already turned into a brat who'd casually call her "old hag" without the slightest courtesy.

So, what she has to do in this trial right now is very clear.

She just has to help the Shield Woman quickly earn that money, so she doesn't have to leave her sister's side, and everything will fall into place.

Once she understood that, an interface instantly popped up at the corner of the Mute Girl's vision.

[Perfect Star has investigated information on the internet and offers you guidance: you may go all-in on virtual currency, then sell at XX year XX month XX hour XX minute.]

Virtual coin? What the hell is that?

The Mute Girl stared at the detailed explanation continuing to scroll down the panel, but the more she read the more confused she got, scratching her head in total bafflement.

Code, numbers, decentralization, blockchain…

What are people in this world spending their days thinking about? This kind of thing with zero practical meaning can actually be treated as money, as Strength?

To go so far as to cook up stuff like this for the sake of making money—how pitiful the weak are…

But no matter what she personally thinks, if she follows the panel's instructions, then even as a little girl who hasn't even started elementary school yet, she could rely on that bit of pathetic pocket money and, in less than a year, roll it up into a jaw‑dropping sum—achieving financial freedom in under a month.

Yet faced with this temptation that ordinary people could never Refusal, the Mute Girl's eyes spun, and the corners of her mouth instead hooked up into a contemptuous smile.

In a world without Magic and Immortal Technique, money is Strength…

For ordinary people in this world, that logic does hold up in reality.

But don't forget, she's currently inside an Illusion Realm. And she herself just happens to have a trump card that lets her briefly break free of the Dungeon's suppression and restore her Magic Power to its peak.

Although the Mute Girl isn't well‑versed in any advanced Spirit Magic, dealing with ordinary people in this world is already more than easy enough.

For ordinary folk with zero Resistance, her Magic Power is enough to completely rewrite their minds.

No matter if it's a tycoon with wealth overflowing, or a big shot holding heavy power, once she gets close, they're nothing but lambs waiting for slaughter, utterly unable to fight back.

Since that's the case, what needs to be done becomes much simpler.

Right now she can just charge in, give that bizarre couple a thorough beating, brainwash them, wrap things up, and then hand the Shield Woman a perfectly happy family.

Even though acting to give people happiness doesn't really fit the Mute Girl's personality, the moment she thinks about ruthlessly tormenting those parents, she gets excited.

The Mute Girl, who still isn't even tall enough to reach the door handle, had eagerness all over that baby‑fat little face. She lowered her head, rubbed the ring on her hand, then took a deep breath.

Okay—one, two, three, ready—

"Wahahaha! Die, you filthy pair!"

The next second, she swung her leg and kicked the front door open hard.

And at the same time, the pop‑up at the corner of her vision suddenly turned a glaring blood‑red.

[Non-Saintess behavior detected. Perfect Star activates Ritual Magic: Angel Depravity]

D600+50 = (313) = 363

[Dad's Perception]

D435 = 128

[Older Brother's Perception (100 + can Skill Activation: Philosophy of Clarity)]

D492 = 446